Director Mark Kohr fondly remembers growing up in Inglewood, Calif., and going to Los Angeles Lakers games with his dad and his brother.
"Since we lived there, we would walk to the games together," said Kohr, 36.
The music video and television commercial director used those memories as motivation last month as he filmed actors playing a father and son driving to a New York Rangers game.
The commercial is one of three TV ads running in Columbus and other Ohio markets as a kickoff to the NHL Blue Jackets' second round of personal seat license sales.
Two of the 30-second spots are emotional, including the New York ad, in which the son realizes during the drive to the game that he doesn't love the Rangers because of Wayne Gretzky, Madison Square Garden, winning the Stanley Cup or $100 team jackets. Rather, the youngster looks at his father, who has been chattering enthusiastically about the Rangers, and says to himself, "It's 'cause of my dad."
The screen then fades to black and the Blue Jackets logo appears with the phrase "Your team" underneath.
"You get your hair, your eyes, your favorite political party and your favorite team from your parents, so that's where we're going with that," said Mark Hillman, creative director for Dublin, Ohio-based Zero Base Advertising Inc., who was lead copywriter on the spots.
Lee Berke, marketing director of Manhattan-based sports marketer Marquee Group, said the club has chosen the proper path with its commercials.
"When you don't have any stars on your team and you have no team history, the heartstrings are one of the few things you have to work with," Berke said.
The TV spots also feature mid-ad fade-outs to the words, "Welcome to the NHL, Columbus."
"There's no 'Ohio' after Columbus [in the ads]," Paitson said. "We're big league now."
Dan Crawford writes for Business First in Columbus.
